Shulk vs Young Xehanort
Pre Episode Wiz: So, which fanbases do you want to tackle this time Boomstick? ...Boomstick what the hell are you doing? Boomstick: Hold on, I'm waiting for something. Wiz: What are you talking about? Come on we have a job- Cue Music 1 *CRASH!* ???: Sorry we're late! Theo got lost... again. Wiz: ...Who the hell are these two? Boomstick: They're the new hosts! I just hired them last week! Why don't you two introduce yourselves? Nova: You got it. I'm Nova, Ace Prodigy Genius! This gentlemen right here is my loyal servant Theodore. (And the only one that can cook a decent meal around here.) Theodore: Ace? Where did that come from? But yes, Boomstick has enlisted the services of our Guild to serve as your new hosts. I swear these positions will be given the utmost justice they deserve. Wiz: Seriously? I didn't think you'd actually go through with it. Well, I think it'll be great to have them on the show. Boomstick: Your confidence in me is astounding. Anyway, its high time we took a goddamn vacation from this crap. As for you two, well since your entrance was pretty badass I'll pay you for the year in advance. Jocelyn: Screw you! Wiz: Right, well here's the list of episodes we've got planned... Well, good luck out there. Try not to let the fanboys barge in here while we're gone! Theodore: *saluting* I swear, we will not let you down sir! Nova: Ah sweet! I've been looking forward to this! Now, what episode did Wiz have planned for us here... Hermione Granger vs The Juggernaut?! John Cena vs Dio Brando?! Who the hell thought of this crap?! Theodore: *Gasp* This is incredible... Nova: Oh? What'd you find back there? Rejected Death Battle pilots... Holy crap these ideas are awesome! How could Wiz and Boomstick possibly reject these? Theodore: It's a mystery indeed, but I swear we shall do these episodes the utmost justice they deserve! Nova, grab the recording set! ''' Nova: Hey, I thought we agreed I was the lady in charge here... Ah well. Lets do this thing! Description This What If Death Battle features Shulk from Xenoblade Chronicles and Young Xehanort from the Kingdom Hearts series. Control over time and the ability to see the future are both amazing abilities. Just which one is superior? Interlude Nova: Ooh this is too exciting! '''Theodore: Calm yourself, partner! *ahem* Anyway, have you ever told me what a terrible idea it is to screw with time itself? Nova: I sure have, but these two guys with lightsabers don't exactly seem to agree with me. But that doesn't matter since they're both incredibly badass! Theodore: It's Shulk, the Monado boy. Nova: And Xehanort, the manipulative Keyblade Master. Theodore: My name is Theodore and she's Nova. And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win a-''' Nova: DEATH BATTLE! '''Theodore: I wanted to say it... Nova: Eh. Maybe next time. Shulk Cue Music 2 Nova: As with practically every JRPG hero out there, Shulk started out as an ordinary Homs in a relatively simple settlement on the giant Bionis. Theodore: Yeah I'm sorry Novs, but don't you mean human? Nova: Nope, that's actually the name of his race... and it's also the singular form of the word too. Theodore: Well, I guess we'll just have to teach the game devs proper English another time. Anyway, Shulk's peaceful life in Colony 9 came to an abrupt end when his home was attacked by the dreaded Mechon. Nova: Well, as you might expect they completely wrecked Shulk's home, killed his girlfriend (or so we'd think), and got away scott free. To make things worse, they could not be harmed by any conventional weapons, with the exception of- Theodore: A freaking lightsaber! Of justice! Shulk had been the only Homs capable of wielding the true might of the legendary blade: The Monado! Shulk was already a decent swordsman before coming into contact with this blade but The Monado was able to really unlock his full potential! Nova: And thus, with the power of Deus Ex Machina in his hands, Shulk set off on an epic journey to get revenge on the Mechon, save the world, and get his girl back! Oh, and it turns out- OH HEY- Theodore: Nova, spoilers! *AHEM* The Monado granted Shulk many supernatural abilities. He could alter his performance in battle with his Monado Arts, allow others to harm the Mechon with conventional weapons, and most importantly see visions of the future. Nova: These visions would quickly become Shulk's trump card in battle, allowing him and his companions to escape a good number of otherwise fatal scenarios completely unharmed. It's not exactly easy to fight against somebody who knows your every move before you do. ...I call hax. Seriously Theo, I know you cheated during our last session of- Theodore: No partner, that's just skill. Even without the Monado, Shulk was still capable of a few techniques with a blade. Back Slash will wreck your day if he well, hits you from behind. He can heal himself with... Light Heal. Real creative names there.... ''' Nova: Yeah, those skills aren't too important, the Monado's where it's really at! The Monado's various arts can easily turn the tide of any battle. Buster makes the blade grow immensely before crashing down on some poor soul's face, speed increases Shulk's agility to ludicrous levels, Shield can block deadly attacks, Cyclone knocks foes on their asses, and he even launch projectiles with Purge! '''Theodore: Shulk is a true hero through and through. (Just like yours truly.) I guess you can say I'm really feeling it too eh? Nova: You're not clever. But Shulk sure is! The guy's a daring strategist in battle and he's defeated tons of foes that should have been way out of his league! But he did have a problem actually hurting human opponents at first. The Monado was simply incapable of harming humans born from the Bionis. You know you've got some crappy design when a goddamn lightsaber just bounces off some guy's face instead of decapitating him! Theodore: Ah, but never fear. The Monado was eventually upgraded to the Monado II which handily eliminated that old shortcoming! Nothing can stop Monado Boy now! *Cue footage of Dickson shooting Shulk in the back*(Start from 7:14) Nova: Yeah, he's not really feeling it after that... So, in turns out Shulk was housing the essence of an all powerful God inside of him! Without it, Shulk would have died years ago before the game even started. Theodore: But never fear, dear viewers! Shulk's heroic resolve was strong enough for him to live on even after Zanza abandoned him as a vessel. Shulk would later go on to gain an even stronger Monado and beat the ever loving shit out of the jackass God himself with the use of The Monado III! How's that for divine retribution eh? Nova: So, upon being given godhood and complete omniscience, Shulk just... brought the world back to normal and said no to all of it. Huh. You know, I would never do that. How could I possibly resist the chance to gain UNLIMITED POWER! HA HA HA HA HA HA! Hey, put your scythe back Theo, I don't need another exorcism! But that is an important point we MUST bring up about Shulk. Giving up his omniscience at the end of xenoblade Chronicles also meant giving up The Monado III. So he's pretty much stuck with old number 2 for this battle. (heh, see what I did there?) Theodore: But in the end, Shulk is living proof that no matter how bleak, hopeless, or downright difficult it may seem... You CAN change the future. Predetermined fates are absolute bullshit in the end! Shulk: "I wish for a world that has no need for gods!" Xehanort Cue Music 3 Nova: UGH. I HATE time travel, and this guy is not making things any better for me. Theodore: Well, I can hardly blame you. Xehanort is the main mastermind behind EVERYTHING that happened in the Kingdom Hearts series. Remember when Sora defeated Xemnas and Ansem? Well, those two were basically Xehanort's separated body and soul. Nova: Right, and their deaths were the catalyst for the return of Master Xehanort. Not only that, but this also marked the creation of a New organization XIII composed entirely of different versions of Xehanort and individuals who accepted his heart into them... Now I see why Kingdom Hearts is really big with the yaoi fandom. Theodore: Things like that are better left unsaid Novs. So, how was all this made possible you ask? Why it's because Xehanort sent his Heartless back in time to send his younger self on a mission to recruit vessels for the new organization and... yeah I'm pretty damn lost now. Nova: Time travel... why did it have to be time travel?! Well, the original Organization XIII wasn't exactly what Xehanort originally had in mind so he scrapped that idea and sent his younger self off to find suitable replacements for the old members. Eventually, this New Organization XIII will clash with the 7 Guardians of Light to help pave the way to Kingdom Hearts! Theodore: Well, at least that will happen when Kingdom Hearts 3 finally comes out... What's really important is that this incarnation of Xehanort is CHEAP AS HELL in combat! ''' Nova: It turns out Xehanort was a skilled Keyblade Master back in his day, and oh boy does it show! '''Theodore: Do you remember when the Keyblade was supposed to be this special weapon that could only be wielded by the chosen one? Emphasis on one? Yeah, that changed pretty quickly. Nova: Well, Keyblades are cool and all but Xehanort was one hell of a genius when it came to making them! Hey turned his Keyblade into a freaking lightsaber! If that's not enough, he can shift his fighting style in favor of dual wielding laser beams from his hands! These weapons can even double as laser whips when the situation calls for it. Now THAT'S style. Theodore: The man's no slouch at all in combat. Xehanort's swordplay combines blinding speed with punishing offense. If this guy's chasing after you, the only hope you have of surviving is rolling on the ground. A lot. Or cartwheeling. Point is you'll be running away for most of the battle. Nova: Do you want to try to land a hit on him? TOO BAD! The pansy will just teleport out of the way and hit you from behind! Xehanort's not all about close quarters combat though. He's just as content to pelt his foes with magic from afar. If Xehanort really wants to get serious, he'll even turn invisible and clone himself! Before you ask, yes those clones are just as deadly as the real deal. Theodore: The amount of techniques this villain is capable of is pretty insane. Yet, the most important ability of all is Xehanort's complete mastery of time itself. So, you finally managed to lock him in a combo? Now, he could just teleport away but NO. Xehanort will literally rewind time and smack you in the face while you're confused. Dick move, man! Dick move. Nova: Oh, that's not the worst of it. It turns out Xehanort's one hell of a sore loser too. Just when you think you've beaten him, you'd better act fast! Otherwise he'll just rewind time and restart the entire freaking battle! Now he'll be completely rejuvenated while you're still tired out from trying to keep up with him! Theodore: Xehanort's the equivalent of the jackass friend that unplugs your controller whenever you're about to win in Mario Kart. Or any game for that matter. Unacceptable... Nova: However, Xehanort's whole rage quitting tactic actually holds the best key to his defeat! You see that clock that shows up when he's about to reset the battle? Destroy that and the battle is yours for the taking! Theodore: Well, don't expect him to just sit down and take his punishment though. When the clock is under attack, Xehanort will divert all of his attention and fury to defending the thing. He will keep your ass off it like his life depends on it! And it kind of does! Nova: Even so, Xehanort is an incredibly well prepared schemer and manipulator. Once he has a goal in mind, there is no outcome that could possibly be a disadvantage to him. The Keyblade War is coming once more, whether you like it or not. Xehanort: You shall wander forever! *Resets battle* THE BATTLE Pre Fight Location: Gaur Plains- Nighttime Cue Music 4 "Argh! These things are tough!" Shulk exclaimed as he decapitated another strange creature. It was just supposed to be a simple monster patrol through the plains today but plans changed when Shulk found himself ambushed by a horde of mysterious shadowy creatures. "You can't scratch me... Back Slash!" Shulk yelled as he bisected a strange demonic chameleon. "Just one left!" Shulk pointed the Monado at what appeared to be a phantom with a bag over its head. Shulk received a deathly vision of The Reaper blasting him with one of its massive revolvers. Shulk prepared to roll out of his foe's range yet the attack never came. When Shulk laid his eyes on The Reaper once more, its body had been split diagonally. An unknown figure in a black cloak emerged from behind as its body disintegrated into nothing. "That's quite an interesting blade you've got there." The hooded figure stated. Shulk dusted himself off and casually approached the man for a handshake. "Thanks! You really saved my hide back there!" The hooded figure chuckled and extended his hand. "That's good to hear. Then perhaps you would be willing to do me a favor." "Oh? Are you in some sort of trouble?" Shulk shortly froze in his tracks as The Monado showed him a vison of the future. The mysterious figure was going to stab Shulk through the heart as he approached for a handshake. Cue Music 5 "I only require one thing of you..." "I don't think so!" Both men ignited their respective weapons and clashed blades with each other. The Mysterious Figure's hood fell back to reveal a young man with spiky silver hair: Xehanort. "The Monado?! How?" "It seems we will have to do this the hard way." Xehanort promptly kicked Shulk away as he readied himself in a combat stance. "Like it or not, you WILL come with me. It has already been determined." "Not a chance!" Shulk stood his ground and raised the Monado at the aggressive stranger. Shulk knew he would certainly die if he did not fight at his fullest here. "The future... doesn't belong to you!" Interlude 2 Nova: Alright! The combatants are set. Let's end this debate once and for all. Theodore: It's time for a-''' Nova: DEATH BATTLE! '''Theodore: I wanted to say it this time... FIGHT! Xehanort immediately teleported out of Shulk's sight. Shulk instinctively swung his Monado behind him and clashed with Xehanort's Keyblade in the process. "Impressive." Xehanort flipped away and shifted his Keyblade into a long whip. He lashed out at Shulk, catching the Monado wielder unprepared. Shulk barely managed to block the whip when he was blinded by a flash of light. The blonde was surrounded by a circle of ice chunks as his vision returned. "You won't beat me that easily!" Shulk yelled as he performed a quick spin with his blade, effortlessly shattering Xehanort's Blizzaga. "Don't get cocky." Shulk could not act quickly enough to avoid a strong gust of wind that blew him off his feet. A sharp pain pierced his chest as Shulk was yanked over to an airborne Xehanort. Shulk received a vicous series of slashes from the Keyblade before being forcefully slammed to the ground. Xehanort shot a massive barrage of lasers at the blonde as he was recovering from the crash. "SHIELD!" The barrage had little effect as it struck the Monado wielder. Xehanort disappeared once again but Shulk knew exactly what to expect. "Air Slash!" Xehanort was caught immediately when he tried to teleport in from above, opening him up for a quick series of blows. "Monado... Tempe-" "I cannot allow that." Everything suddenly stopped, the world had gone completely monochrome just before Shulk was about to finish his combo. Time had reversed ever so slightly to the point that Xehanort attempted to flank Shulk from above. When the blonde regained his senses, he was surprised to see that Xehanort had flanked him once more. The silver haired man tore into Shulk's back with a blinding combo from his twin blades. Shulk had very little room to escape, yet Shulk had found an opening the very instant Xehanort reeled back for a stronger strike. "I see it!" Xehanort missed his next attack completely and was instead met with a heavy swing from The Monado. Xehanort was knocked back a fair distance. He coated himself in a torrent of flames upon landing and began to chase after Shulk like a forest wildfire. "Speed!" Shulk followed suit with the chase, using a newfound burst of speed to avoid the inferno while still clashing blades with his opponent. Shulk suddenly received another vision of Xehanort flanking him from behind. In a move to outsmart his adversary, Shulk reeled back as if he was about to stab his foe. Xehanort took note of the move and warped behind Shulk, only to be met with the receiving end of Shulk's "Slit Edge!" Xehanort was sent hurtling away once more, but he stopped his momentum against a nearby cliff. He began swinging his Keyblade wildly, a disc shape projectile was launched with each swing. "Monado... Purge!" Shulk responded with a projectile of his own. The Purge cut through Xehanort's own discs and struck him with full force. The impact left a small crater on the side of the cliff. "Speed!" Shulk ran up to Xehanrt before he could recovery and assaulted him with no mercy. Every attempt of mistake from this new corner was easily read and cut off by the Monado. Xehanort had briefly ceased his escape attempts, prompting Shulk to charge up one last attack in a attempt to finish him off. "Monado... BU-" "TIME STOP!" "STER!" Shulk unleashed his devastating attack to find... that he had only succeeded in striking thin air. He looked behind him to see a strange clock. "What in the world?!" Shulk made a move to investigate the foreign object but that was promptly cut short as his senses faded once more. "You shall wander forever!" Shulk regained his senses to a rather familiar sight from not too long ago. "Wait... why am I-" Shulk suddenly realized he was walking towards Xehanort from a time when he still had his hood up and arm outstretched. The blonde evaded the stab he knew would come but his lack of punctuality led to him taking some damage from it anyway. "Guh! How did you..." Cue Music 6 Shulk readied for another ambush from Xehanort only for his adversary to strike him from the opposite direction entirely. "How? But The Monado showed you- AH!" Shulk was swept up in another deadly combo. Shulk could not seem to come close to striking Xehanort again. Any attempt at striking the silver haired man just resulted in a casual dodge or teleport. "Your methods have become quite predictable, boy." Shulk rolled away from an incoming slash, this time he had manage to escape successfully. "Back Slash!" He struck the position he had once been in with a heavy jumping slash, missing his mark entirely. "Are my visions... not true anymore?" Xehanort gave an amused chuckle in response. He seemed to enjoy screwing around with his future vessel. "Face it boy." Shulk was kicked in the head. "Your future has already been chosen for you." Shulk took a quick stab in the chest. "You'd best come to accept your position now." The pain in Shulk's chest spiked as he was lifted into the air once more. "Your future.. is a joke!" Shulk shouted in defiance. "We shall see." Shulk remained in the air as his body was pierced by a wall of blue lasers. Shulk could barely look up to see a large meteor slowly coming down from the sky with the intent of crashing right into him. He could have sworn he also saw what appeared to be a number counting down above his head. "Mona-UH!" A fireball struck the blonde before he could use his art. "Oh, we simply cannot have that now." Xehanort taunted. "Monado-GAH!" "Do you ever learn?" All of Shulk's attempts to use one his arts only ended with more pain and mocking laughter from his foe. Shulk had to stop panicking so he could focus for a second. He had an epiphany in his mind. "That's it!" Shulk was finally able to successfully block another of Xehanort's projectiles and pull off an art. (So that's his game! Somehow, he's able to know what my visions tell me and act against them! I'll just have to do the same!) "Monado...Purge!" *BOOM!* The meteor had exploded with a blinding light, allowing Shulk to escape Xehanort's sight. The silver haired man instinctively swung his Keyblade behind him but was instead met with a fearsome attack from Shulk. "Back Slash!" Xehanort flew back again but he managed to teleport back to his feet. "Good, you're actually learning from your mistakes." Xehanort surrounded himself with flames once more and launched a volley of fireballs at Shulk. "Speed!" Shulk darted through Xehanort's volley with ease but what the vision saw next was unpredictable. "What?" Hooded clones of Xehanort emerged to rush the Monado wielder as Xehanort himself laid back to punish the blonde with projectiles. "Shield!" Shulk shifted his attention to the newly formed clones instead of the fireballs, which began striking him for minimal damage. Shulk soon found himself clashing blades with three figures at once. "I see you will not be changing your mind soon." Xehanort stated upon disappearing again. "You know I won't... Monado... Cyclone!" Shulk let out a fierce slash that boomed throughout the entire valley, dispersing a good number of Xehanort's clones upon impact. "I'm not done yet!" Shulk slashed away like there was no tomorrow, cutting down clones left and right. Shulk lured the group off to a nearby rock formation, ran up the edge, and returned to Bionis with a heavy slam of his blade. He received another vision of the real Xehanort turning invisible and flanking him, thus he readied another attack. "Monado... CYCLONE!" Cue Music 7 "What?" "Gotcha!" The massive Cyclone had knocked Xehanort off balance, allowing Shulk to close the distance for a long deserved assault. "Shaker Edge!" Xehanort had been reduced to a prone body on the ground, something Shulk would take full advantage of. Shulk unleashed his full fury upon the downed Xehanort before he could even get up again. "Monado Eater!" That last blow left a noticeable scar across Xehanort's body. "You've only sealed your fate!" He disappeared from Shulk's sight again, emerging with an army of clones ready to close in on the blonde. "I won't fall for your tricks again!" Unlike their previous clash, Shulk was well able to predict Xehanort's every move and attempt at an ambush. A clone was vanquished with every swing of the Monado but the real Xehanort was nowhere to be seen. Another vision popped into Shulk's head, prompting him to take a stab at what appeared to be thin air. "Impossible!" Xehanort cried out as he dropped to a single knee. Shulk shut off the Monado and placed it right on the ground between Xehanort's legs. "Don't even try anything!" The Monado ignited, launching Xehanort right into the air. Shulk followed after him, letting loose another long combo. "You will not harm anyody while I'm here!" Shulk yelled as he swung his blade down over his head. Xehanort slammed right into the ground, leaving a sizable crater. "I'm not done yet! Monado Purge!" Shulk yelled as he let loose a a wave of energy upon the crater. Shulk shifted his momentum in reverse after the projectile landed successfully. Xehanort emerged in Shulk's path to be greeted with a boot to the face. "You're finished!" Shulk screamed as he emulated Link to finish the stunned Xehanort off with a diving stab. Shulk only managed to pierce the ground with his blade, The Monado was stuck as a result. Shulk took a jump kick to the head as he tried to retrieve his blade. "Oh I'm sorry, is this supposed to be yours?" Xehanort nonchalantly asked as he picked the Monado off the ground. "It's too bad you ca-" Xehanort ignited the massive blade before Shulk could finish his sentence. "You were saying?" With his Keyblade in one hand and The Monado in the other, Xehanort warped right in front of Shulk in an effort to cut the boy to shreds. Shulk ducked and weaved past his foe's swings waiting for the right time to steal back his blade. "You're still having visions? Interesting." Shulk had to form a plan now. Shulk could not keep this up forever, as he soon found himself being struck by the blunt edge of The Monado. After taking another couple of blows from his own weapon, Shulk had found himself pinned against a wall. "Just try it. I dare you!" Xehanort lunged forward with both of his weapons, but Shulk managed to leap over them in a single bound and kick Xehanort in the face again. The Monado had become stuck in the nearby wall, allowing Shulk a makeshift platform. Shulk grabbed onto the blade and ignited its beam. This action sent him rocketing towards Xehanort at unpredictable speeds. The attack was a success! Shulk's momentum carried him to the opposite wall, so he kicked off of it and held the Monado over his head with a triumphant shout. "This is a good result!" Xehanort was still stunned as Shulk gave another shot at finishing the silver haired man off with a diving stab from the Monado. "TIME STOP!" Shulk pierced the ground with his blade, quickly realizing Xehanort had retreated again. He quickly remembered the clock and made a mad dash for the contraption. Shulk wailed on it with his blade but he could not seem to scratch it. "No... you're not pulling this off again! MONADO... BUSTER!" The Monado's blade grew to a size that could easily rival Squall Leonhart's Blasting Zone before crashing down on Xehanort's clock. What followed was a blinding flash of darkness. Cue Music 8 Shulk awoke to find himself in the middle of a swirling void of pure darkness. Just before him was the clock he had struck earlier. There was a very sizable crack on it. Xehanort stood beside the contraption, fixing his gaze on the Monado boy with a raging glare. He was done testing the boy. He would most certainly make for a fine thirteenth vessel for the New Organization. Now, both sides only had one thing in mind: To utterly defeat the opposition as a means to further their own goals. "Tell me this. Why are you so intent on taking me away so suddenly?" "Your type could never truly understand but you should at least know this: I know exactly what the future brings. All you have to do is play your part in bringing another Keyblade War to fruition!" "How could you just let something like that happen?! You'd do nothing to stop it?!" "As I said, your kind would never understand the true purpose of my goals. You are simply a fool if you believe you can change the world's destinies." Xehanort concluded as he vanished from Shulk's sight again. Would the future be changed, or will a dark ending soon fall upon the worlds? Shulk and Xehanort were about to answer that question. "Let's do this!" Shulk roared and made a mad dash for the mysterious clock in the middle of the room... A good number of clones was set upon the blonde in an instant. "Monado Purge!" Shulk's next projectile pierced through a line of them and struck the clock once more. Shulk's assault was quickly halted when the enemy horde closed in and started clashing blades with him. Three Xehanort's forced the Monado wielder into a stationary clash while a fourth blasted him with another X slash. With a wide swing of his blade, Shulk forced the clones off of him and barely managed to slide under the X slash. He slid directly underneath the clone that shot the projectile and ignited The Monado straight up. With the clones off Shulk's back for now, he needed to focus on the clock. "Unacceptable!" Shulk quickly slashed behind him to prevent his head from being chopped off by his real enemy. (Damn, I'll never destroy this contraption if he keeps hounding me like this!) Shulk thought as he rolled to the side to avoid an incoming thunderbolt. Another clone emerged right next to him to kick the blonde to the ground before he could act once more. The real Xehanort acted quickly and pinned Shulk to in place, forcing the blonde to release his own blade. Shulk screamed in agony as Xehanort stuck his Keyblade in the blonde's shoulder. "No, not like this!" Shulk shouted and placed his hands on the Keyblade in an effort to force it off. "Do you see it now? Whatever hope you have for the future is utterly useless." Another clone walked up to Shulk as he struggled to keep Xehanort's Keyblade from impaling him. The clone raised a blade in a menacing fashion before bringing it down on the struggling duo. "No! You're the one with no future!" Shulk forced Xehanort into the path of the clone's blade, distracting the villain long enough for Shulk to retrieve his own blade. "Monado Cyclone!" Upon receiving another vision, Shulk leaped away from his position and purposefully placed his back up against the clock. "Come and get me!" Xehanort simply warped over to the blonde's side and slashed him with his Keyblade. "Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Shulk stumbled back and took a small moment to heal his injuries. (Damn! I can't get a read on him if I can't properly rely on my visions! There has to be something I can do!) "Stream Edge!" Shulk swung his blade in an arc wide enough to cover any spot Xehanort could slash him from. "I'm afraid that won't work." Xehanort replied and stabbed Shulk with his whip again. "Now get over here!" Shulk was forcefully yanked over to his adversary to receive a viscous stab to the knee. "You can't expect me to just give up!" "Of course not. I'll just have to force you to." Xehanort gave Shulk an uppercut that would make probably Scorpion applaud in awe. Shulk managed to land back on his feet to find himself surrounded with ice chunks again. "Shield!" Shulk tanked the blows but Xehanort was on him yet again. "Speed!" A final clash of blades followed, both swordsmen were easily able to keep up with each other despite their individual tricks. "So, you think you've finally figured me out have you?" Xehanort blocked an overhead swing. "I know exactly what you are." Shulk slammed down on Xehanort's Keyblade, forcing him to stumble slightly. "You think of yourself as nothing less than a God." Shulk allowed Xehanort to push him back a bit. "You think this future of darkness is the only path for the worlds to take." Shulk had a brilliant plan in his mind and all the pieces were falling into place. "But know this..." He blocked another swing. "You're not the only one who gets to decide that!" Shulk jumped back and allowed Xehanort to take a stab at him. Shulk tilted his body to the side and grabbed onto the Keyblade wielder's arm. "Anything can change!" He thrust Xehanort's arm over to the clock and slammed the hilt of The Monado onto his back. "No, impossible!" Xehanort's Keyblade had gotten stuck in the clock and he could not get it out. "This is goodbye." Shulk raised The Monado over his head and grew the blade to ridiculous proportions. "MONADO... BUSTER!" With a single swing of his blade, Shulk struck the clock one last time. The last thing the blonde could see was a flash of light that made him drift out of consciousness. Cue Music 9 When Shulk came to his senses, he found himself back in the Gaur Plains. The night sky glimmered just as mysteriously as it did when Shulk began his battle. "It's great to be back again. I don't know who that man was... But I will prove him wrong. There is a better future out there for all of us. It's too bad he could not understand that." But yet, something still seemed amiss to the blonde. (But this is strange... It's hard to believe it's still nighttime... I thought my battle with that man lasted much longer than...) *SHINK!* Cue Music 10 Shulk's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden pain searing through his body. He looked down to see a familiar blue Keyblade emerging from his chest. "But... how..." "I told you, you would come with me whether you liked it or not." "I didn't even..." "Are you referring to this?" Xehanort tossed the Monado to the ground, a large crack had formed along the blade. "It does not matter to me if you die here. You'll get better soon enough. After all... we really only needed your body..." Those were the last words Shulk could make out before everything just faded away from him. KO! Results Cue Music 11 Nova: Well, the New Organization XIII is certainly gonna get it's money's worth with this recruit... Theodore: Shulk? Shulk? SHUUUUUULK?! How in the... Nova: Theo, if you'll just- Theodore: Nova, how the hell could you just let the VILLAIN win like that?! There's no way in hell that should have happened! You-''' Nova: I'll admit, this was a ridiculously close match and you should know it too. You researched this fight with me! Look, I'm really sorry if one of your favorite characters ever just died out there but that's how Death Battle works sometimes! I like Shulk too and I'm not exactly the biggest fan of Xehanort's actions either! '''Theodore: *sigh* I know... Whoever said heroes never die is one hell of a liar. Heh. Well, Shulk is an incredibly versatile fighter who's capable of adapting to almost any situation you can imagine... Nova: But the ability to see the future is kind of botched when you're fighting somebody that's mastered the ability of save scumming. Shulk relies on his visions over everything else in battle, forcing him to improvise which he is admittedly pretty good at. If you can manage to get around that, you've just eliminated his greatest advantage. Theodore: A good chunk of this battle was determining how well the combatants could adapt to one another's fighting styles, and while Shulk is very well versed in this, Xehanort trumped him in this category by virtue of being a cheating bastard. Remember, time hax? Nova: While the notion of experience is a little harder to figure out, it's still important to remember that Xehanort's a formally trained Keyblade wielder. While it's not quite stated if this version of the albino is a Master or not, formal training beats Shulk's self taught experiences 9 times out of 10. Theodore: Sure, Shulk has slain the almighty douchebag God of his world but he gave up a lot the power that allowed him to pull off such a feat right afterwards. Yeah, he still retained a good amount of it in the end but it just wasn't enough to beat Xehanort. Who's to say the Monado III would have even helped much anyway? Nova: Hell, Shulk outclassed Xehanort in a good number of areas but it didn't matter when he could just reload an earlier save (you know what I mean) and try again whenever he wanted. It's just like playing a game on an emulator. Oh, I f*cked up here? Lets just pretend that never happened. He's truly the master of pulling off Xanatos Gambits. No matter what the outcome is, he'll always have some benefit from it in the end. Theodore: The Monado boy just... had a bad time today. (So did I...) Nova: The winner is Young Master Xehanort. ...You know what Theo I've just gotta make it up to you! I'll cook up a hearty meal for you right away! Theo: ...HUH? ...And she's gone. Crap... Post Episode Wiz: I can't believe your idea of a vacation was going to ANOTHER convention. Bomstick: Well hey, at least you had fun out there right? Besides, we got paid for this! Wiz: Had fun? I was a human shield for all the anti Death Battle fans out there! Ah well, now's as good a time as any to try this gift. Cue Music 12 Boomstick: Oh yeah, Nova gave us a nice welcoming meal right? Sweet! Lets dig in! Wiz: Oh god, what the hell is that?! Boomstick: ...I'm pretty sure that breaks all the rules of chemical warfare... Wiz: There's a note here: Thanks for letting us on the show, I made a great present for you to show my gratitude. I've left a notepad in the box so you can let me know of the dish's side effects. I'm 97% sure it won't kill you. You'd better eat it. I'll know if you don't. Love, Nova :) Boomstick: ...So Wiz, do you want to try it first? ... Nova: Wow, are you guys still watching? ... ...How about a little request? In the event that you decide to post a comment down below, add in *Theo's a dork* at the end of your comment to let us know you actually read the entire episode! Theodore: Wait, what? Nova: Thanks for your time! We hope you enjoyed yourselves, Nova out! Category:What-If? 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